Mike D says the gratitude he and his partners have received has been "amazing" (courtesy: Fabio Venni)

Cheryl Santa Maria Digital Reporter

Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 9:07 PM - Mike D of the Beastie Boys is stepping up to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Michael Diamond, known to music fans as Mike D, is reaching out to Hurricane Sandy victims in Brooklyn's Rockaway Beach.

The Beastie Boys rapper has teamed up with local chefs and members of the community to create the Rockaway Plate Lunch food truck. So far, they've served up more than 19,000 hot meals to hurricane victims, free of charge.

"After Sandy hit New York, Mike D and I went out to Rockaway Beach to help out however we could," partner Robert McKinley explains in a video posted to Vimeo.

"There was definitely a need for hot meals ... and we realized that a food truck would really be optimal."

According to chef Sam Talbot, up to 500 people can be served a hot plate of chicken, rice and beans in a single day.

"It's amazing to see the gratitude, the thankfullness, the warmth [and] the smiles in return for the food and the services being provided for them," Mike D added in the video.